The invention relates to an incremental travel encoder.
In a known travel encoder of this type for rotary angle measurement in open- and closed-loop control technology (German Patent Disclosure DE 35 10 651 A1), the encoder part embodied as an incremental wheel is located with a broken circumferential structure (toothing) contactlessly facing the sensor part at a distance, and the sensor part reacts to the structural change of the encoder part by changing its output voltage. The phase-displaced output signals of the sensor part make it possible both to count the rotary increments of the travel encoder and to indicate the direction of the rotation.
Modern operator equipment in motor vehicles is increasingly equipped with microprocessors, function LEDs, and LCDs. With the LEDs and LCDs, set-point value settings are indicated; for instance in a climate control system, the fan setting is indicated by an LED wedge and the temperature set point or air distribution setting is indicated by LCD information. By the display via LEDs or LCDs, a separation is obtained between the set-point value controller and the set-point value display; this now makes it possible to use incremental encoders as set-point value controllers, which are suitable for direct triggering of the microprocessors.